‘Gargantua The Great’ On View At Yale Peabody Museum

NEW HAVEN — The skeleton of Gargantua the Great, one of the most famous circus attractions of all time, is on view at Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History through January 30.

A headliner with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for 12 years, from 1937 to 1949, the 460-pound gorilla was billed as “the world’s most terrifying living creature.” Millions stood in line to see him as the circus toured the country. An orphan at a month old, the infant gorilla lived for year with missionaries in Africa until a sea captain purchased him and brought him back with him to Boston in 1931. There a recently fired sailor, with a grudge against the captain, sought revenge by throwing nitric acid from a fire extinguisher into the gorilla’s face.

The captain telephoned a friend, Gertrude Davies Lintz, the wife of a Brooklyn doctor, who raised St Bernards, chimpanzees and gorillas as a hobby. Determined to save the severely burned gorilla, she tenderly nursed him back to health. His face, however, was permanently disfigured and his mouth twisted into a fierce snarl.

Although gorillas in captivity often live for 40 years or more, Gargantua was only 20 when he died. When in 1949 it became obvious that he was not well, no one dared approach him to find out what the trouble was and he died that November of double pneumonia. Newspapers announced his passing with large black headlines.

An autopsy performed at Johns Hopkins Hospital revealed that, in addition to skin disease and other problems, Gargantua had four impacted and rotted wisdom teeth. Mr North gave Gargantua’s skeleton to the Peabody Museum in 1950.

The Peabody Museum is located at 170 Whitney Avenue. It is open to the public Monday to Saturday from 10 am until 5 pm, and Sunday, noon to 5 pm. The museum will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.

The museum is wheelchair accessible.

For additional information call 203-432-5050 or visit www.Peabody.yale.edu.